


The Right Kind of Memories

by orphan_account



Series: Yeah I Wrote Something: Tumblr Fics [24]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Christmas Caroling, Christmas Dinner, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Family Dinners, Hot Chocolate, M/M, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-17
Updated: 2015-12-17
Packaged: 2018-05-07 04:51:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5443940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Look, a whole bunch of us are going out caroling, and you have to come with," Charlie said.</p><p>"I can't sing," Dean lied.</p><p>"Don't lie," she immediately called him on it. "Come on! It'll be so much fun! It's two days before Christmas, there's fresh snow on the ground, and we are making memories!"</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Right Kind of Memories

Dean was yanked from sleep by a loud buzzing right by his ear. He slowly lifted his head to glare at the offending object, trying to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do with it. He thought about knocking it to the floor and returning to his nap, but as soon as his bleary eyes focused on the screen, he knew that wasn't an option. 

He swiped the screen to answer the call, not even bothering to bring it to his ear as he called, "What the hell, Charlie?" 

"Well, hello to you, too!" She replied. "What are you doing right now?"

"Sleeping," Dean grumbled, shoving his face back into his pillow. 

"Seriously?" Charlie asked, her voice reflecting her distaste. "Who the hell sleeps on a perfectly good Saturday afternoon?" 

"I do!" Dean groaned. He reached for the phone so he could hang up. 

"Well, not anymore! Get up, bitch," she commanded cheerfully. 

"No!" Dean yelled back. 

"Dean Winchester, I am counting to three, and if you are not out of bed, so help me god, I will come up there and yank you out of that bed," she responded. Her voice was still cheerful, but Dean could hear the steely resolve behind it. 

"You go ahead and do that, Sweetheart," Dean goaded. "But just so you know, I sleep naked." 

Charlie made a gagging sound. "Ugh! Why the hell do you tell me these things?" She cried.

"Why the hell did you wake me up from a perfectly good nap?" Dean countered. 

"Touché," she muttered. She took a deep breath before rushing on. "Look, a whole bunch of us are going out caroling, and you have to come with." 

"I can't sing," Dean lied.

"Don't lie," Charlie immediately called him on it. "Come on! It'll be so much fun! It's two days before Christmas, there's fresh snow on the ground, and we are making memories!" 

Dean huffed out a sigh. "Look, I prefer for my memories to be warm and hazy, not cold and..."

Charlie cut him off. "And just think, this is our last year to make these kind of memories before...you know..." She trailed off. 

Dean sighed heavily. Charlie could play that guilt trip card like no other, and ever since they'd all decided on different schools for the coming fall, she'd found a whole new arsenal of tactics to use. 

"Fine! Give me five minutes," he groaned. 

"Awesome; come down to Dorothy's house." Her voice grew distant, like she was pulling the phone away from her ear, but then it was suddenly back full volume, startling Dean. "Oh, and wear the sweater I gave you last year." And with that, she hung up. 

Dean groaned and rolled over to stare up at the ceiling for several long seconds before he was finally able to push himself out of bed. He pulled on the jeans that were still on his floor from the day before, as well as his boots and Charlie's ugly Christmas sweater before clomping down the stairs. 

"Headed out?" Mary called from the kitchen. 

"Yeah, Charlie wants to go caroling," he muttered as he yanked on his coat and hat. 

"Oh, that sounds fun. Enjoy yourself!" She encouraged. 

"Yep!" Dean called back as he walked out the front door. 

He jogged down the street past brightly-lit houses and inflatable reindeer, down to Dorothy's house, where he could see several of his friends already waiting. He laughed loudly as he watched Jo try to jump up onto Ash's back, sending them both toppling into the snow. 

"Dean!" Garth called as he ran up and wrapped him in a big hug. Dean hugged the scrawny guy back, smiling despite himself. 

"Hey, Garth," he greeted. Garth pulled away, patted him once on the forearm then was loping back away to stand by Bess Myers, who was staring up at him with adoring eyes. 

Dean couldn't help his small smirk as he turned to greet Benny, Kevin, and Pam. He jerked his head toward Garth and his girlfriend. "Who woulda thought?" 

They nodded, Pam adding in a snort for good measure. "Seriously, how the hell did that even happen?" 

Charlie ran up then, her hand gripping Dorothy's tightly. She smiled triumphantly, "I'm glad you finally deemed us worthy of your company, Sir Dean!" 

Dean rolled his eyes as he pulled her into a hug. "Yeah, yeah." 

He nodded toward Dorothy, and she offered a small wave in return. He glanced around, "Is this everybody?" 

"Almost," Charlie answered, her eyes sparking with mischief. Dean glanced around again; who wasn't there? Just as he was about to check again, Charlie let out a loud, "Ah! Here's the other member of our troupe!"

Dean turned to find a small figure crossing the road toward them, his shoulders hunched inward like he was uncomfortable with the attention, his hands shoved in his pockets, his cheeks heating under Dean's gaze. 

"Heya, Cas!" Charlie called. The dark haired boy offered Dean a small smile as he stepped up to them, but he spoke to Charlie. "Thanks for inviting me."

Dean shivered from the deep voice, a voice that always seemed to reverberate clear down to his toes every time the smaller boy answered a question in their government class. Cas's gaze flitted back to his, his cheeks heating even further before he forced his eyes back to Charlie. Dean realized that he was staring then and yanked his gaze away, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.

"It's no problem!" Charlie assured him. She smiled up at Dean, "Right, Dean?" 

Dean's mouth dropped open at the unexpected attack. "Uhhhhh...." 

"That's what I thought," Charlie said, a self-satisfied smirk settling across her lips as she patted Dean on the arm. "Look, Cas, just stick with Dean. And if you get too cold, don't hesitate to snuggle on up there," she advised with a wink before turning back to the rest of the group. "Okay, everyone! Let's head over to Missouri's place; she promised me cookies and hot chocolate if we went by her house." 

As the group headed back up the street toward Dean's house, Dean made sure that he fell into step with Cas. 

"Um...hi," Dean muttered, his cheeks flaming. Hopefully Cas would think it was from the cold, and not from some raging crush that Dean had harbored ever since the first time he'd seen the new boy in class. 

"Hello, Dean," Cas responded simply, a small, secret smile on his face. 

"You know my name?" Dean asked, surprised. 

Cas's smile grew. "Everybody at school knows your name. I think it comes with being the quarterback, right? Plus, Charlie just said it, so..." 

Dean blushed harder. "Right, of course!" He glanced away, willing himself to come up with something witty or memorable. This was his one chance to talk to the most beautiful boy he'd ever laid eyes on, and he was fucking it up completely. 

"How's your Christmas break going so far?" Cas asked, breaking the silence, and Dean shrugged. 

"Okay, I guess. Just a lot of video games. You?"

Cas chuckled and shook his head. "I don't really...know anything about that stuff. I've actually been, uh, unpacking." 

Dean's eyebrows arched. "Still? Didn't you move here, like, two months ago?" 

Cas nodded. "Yep," he popped the P. "But, uh, this isn't my stuff. It's, uh, my parents' stuff." 

"That's cool of you to help them," Dean offered, and Cas smiled tightly. 

"I don't really have a choice. They're, uh... They passed in October." 

Dean's face fell. "Oh."

"Yeah. Uh, that's how I...ended up here. I actually live with my Aunt Hester now." 

"I'm sorry, man," Dean murmured, his tone sincere. 

Cas nodded. "Thanks." 

"So, do you like it here?" Dean asked after a couple of seconds of silence. 

Cas thought about it for several seconds before slowly nodding. "Yes, I do. I mean, there are still things I miss about Pontiac, like my friends and my school. But, uh, I'm finding that there are good people here, too." He blushed heavily as his eyes flitted to Dean's for the briefest of moments. 

Dean couldn't help the small smile that lifted the corners of his mouth as they stopped at Missouri's door. 

After they sang for Missouri, she ushered them inside for the promised cookies and hot chocolate. Dean immediately shoved one of the peanut butter cookies with Hershey kisses on top into his mouth, moaning happily as he chewed. Cas giggled and reached for a cookie, pulling the kiss off the top and eating it before the rest of the cookie. 

As Missouri poured each of them hot chocolate, they passed around the whipped cream to layer on top of each mug. Dean sprayed an obscene amount onto his drink, pulling another giggle from Cas. He couldn't help his smirk as he brought his mug up to take a sip. 

When he brought it back down, Cas let out a little laugh, his hand coming up to cover his mouth. 

"What?" Dean asked, immediately self-conscious. 

Cas pointed to his face. "You, uh, you got some on your... on your nose." 

Dean blushed brightly as he reached up to wipe at his nose, but Cas just smiled and reached over to grab a napkin for him. "Here," he murmured, reaching up to wipe at Dean's nose for him. 

"Uh, thanks," Dean muttered. 

"Anytime," Cas assured him with a fond smile. 

They both noticed the silence at the same time. They looked around to find everyone staring at them, wide grins plastered across their faces. 

"Uhhhhh..." Dean started, unsure of what was going on. 

Cas held up the can of whipped cream. "Anyone else want some whipped cream? That is, if Dean left any..." Cas teased. 

"Hey!" Dean protested, but it was with a smile. 

\----------------------

After Missouri's, they headed further down the road, stopping at the house next door to Dean's. Charlie bounded up to ring the doorbell, and they all shuffled around whispering as they waited for the door to open. 

When it opened, the two young teenage boys inside let out cries of delight. "Carolers!" 

The shorter, chubbier boy turned around to yell into the house. "MA! There are carolers here!" 

"WHO?" A woman yelled back. 

As this exchange continued, the other teen boy spoke up like it was completely normal. "Hey, guys!" 

"Hey, Sammy! Whatcha doing?" Charlie asked.

"Watching a movie," he explained. "Sully's mom rented Ant-Man." 

"Ooh, I love that one!" Kevin enthused. He looked at the others, "Can I stay?"

"No!" They all replied in unison. Right then Sam's eyes landed on Cas, who was standing very close to Dean. He smirked. 

"Who's your friend, Dean?" 

Dean gaped at him. "Uhhh..." Damn, he was articulate today! "He's, uh...he's not my friend..." Dean felt Cas stiffen beside him, so he rushed on. "I mean, he's not *not* my friend," he corrected. "He's everybody's friend," he explained, motioning to the group. 

Cas finally took pity on him and spoke up. "I'm Cas." 

Sam's eyes widened in recognition of the name, having heard it mentioned in passing more than once at the dinner table. Dean shot him a warning glare, so he just smiled smugly like only a little brother with blackmail material could. 

Right then Sully's mom ran up with her camera. "Okay, hit it!" 

They broke out into "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree," giggling as they tripped up over the words occasionally or hit a note wrong. Dean couldn't really help the way he leaned in closer to Cas. Hearing that deep voice talk was one thing; hearing him sing was a whole new experience. More than once Dean found himself lessening his volume so he could hear Cas more clearly. 

Once they were done, Mrs. Xana insisted on giving each of them a hug. As she pulled Cas into a tight squeeze, Sam smirked up at Dean, mischief glinting in his eyes as he pulled out his phone. Dean glared at him, trying to convey the silent death threat, but Sam ignored him in favor of looking down at his phone as he typed out a text. 

Dean tried to grab the phone from him without anyone noticing, but all he succeeded in doing was jostling Cas as the other boy pulled out of his hug. Once all of the hugs had been exchanged, Mrs. Xana bid them farewell then shut the door. The last thing Dean saw was Sam waving innocently at him from the warmth of the entryway. 

As they made their way back up the front walk, Cas placed a gentle hand on Dean's arm. "Everything okay?" 

Dean tried not to focus on the fact that Cas was touching him (granted, it was through multiple layers of clothing, but Dean would take what he could get). Instead, he smiled tightly at Cas. "Yep! My little brother was just being a dumbass, like usual." 

Cas chuckled. "That was your brother?" 

"Yep!" Dean answered, unable to keep the pride from his voice as he told Cas, "He's super smart. He's going places, lemme tell you. Just, uh, don't tell him I said that." 

"Your secret's safe with me," Cas promised. 

Dean glanced down at the hand that still rested on his arm. "Dude, where are your gloves? Your hands must be freezing!" 

Cas blushed. "I forgot where I packed them when we moved," he admitted. "So until I find them, I'm just roughing it."

Dean smiled, unable to keep the warmth from invading his chest as he studied Cas's blue eyes in the twinkling lights of his house. His house...

His head shot up just in time to see Charlie ringing his doorbell. 

"Why are we stopping here?" He asked. 

Charlie grinned mischievously, her flushed cheeks scrunched up. "Don't you want to sing to your parents?" 

Cas looked up at him. "Is this your house?" Dean nodded, a flush rising up along his neck, up to his cheeks. Cas smiled softly. "It's very nice." 

"Thanks," Dean muttered right as the door flung open to reveal Mary on her Santa apron. 

"Well! Would you look at all these carolers! And you, in the back! So handsome!" She teased, winking at Dean. 

Dean groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "Mom!" 

She chuckled, her eyes sparkling. She smiled at Cas. "And you must be Dean's friend, Cas." 

Dean's head shot up, his eyes wide with panic. He shook his head as subtly as possible, but Mary ignored him. 

"Uh, yes," Cas confirmed, a blush staining his cheeks. "But, uh, I think I'm technically everybody's friend?" He looked to Dean then, as if for confirmation. Dean just smiled tightly. 

Mary nodded. "Of course you are!" She paused for a moment. "Wait...  
Are you Hester's nephew?" 

Cas nodded. "Yes, ma'am." 

"Well! Isn't that nice. I work with your aunt at the hospital." 

Cas's eyes widened. "Oh, yeah! You work on the pediatrics floor with her," Cas recalled, and Mary nodded. The others in the group watched the exchange with rapt attention, occasionally glancing back at Dean and sniggering at his worsening blush. 

"She's pulling a double shift this weekend, isn't she?" Mary asked sympathetically, and Cas nodded. 

"Yeah, it was the only way she could get Christmas Day off, I think." 

"The schedules can be a pain in the ass," Mary admitted with a sigh. "So if your aunt's working tomorrow, what are you doing for your Christmas Eve dinner?" 

Cas shrugged. "I'll probably just make a sandwich and soup?" 

Mary tsked under her breath, shaking her head. "'Now, Cas! That just won't do! You come on down here for dinner with us tomorrow." 

"I wouldn't want to intrude," Cas began, but Mary cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"Absolutely not! We'd love to have you. Wouldn't we, Dean?" His mother prodded. 

Everybody spun around to stare at Dean, while Cas glanced up at him, his blue eyes hopeful. 

"Uhhhhhh...." Dean groped for an appropriate response. He didn't wanna seem too eager, but he didn't *not* want to seem eager...

"See! He loves the idea!" Jo yelled, spinning back around to face the others who all let out a loud cheer. Dean blushed and glanced down at Cas, only to find those blue eyes still on him. 

"Dean?" He whispered. Dean knew that he was waiting for an actual answer from him, and suddenly Dean could care less about seeming too eager. 

"Yeah," he murmured. "I really love that idea." 

\---------------------

The dinner wasn't bad at all. Dean was the one to answer the door when the bell rang, and he felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw Cas standing on his doorstep, a bashful smile on his lips, a pecan pie in his hands. When Dean helped him out of his coat, he caught a whiff of his cologne, and he had to stop himself from sniffing at Cas like some creep. 

Around the table, Dean and Cas sat together on one side, with Sam on the other, and John and Mary at the ends. Sam talked to Cas about Mock UN, while John interrogated him about his baseball skills, which were apparently above decent. Mary grilled him about how he was doing at his new school and whether he was getting enough sleep and enough to eat. 

"Mom!" Dean groaned. 

"What? He's just gone through a big change, and it's important for him to keep up with his personal well-being!" Mary countered. 

Cas smiled gently at Dean as he reached under the table to cover his hand with his. "It's okay." 

He looked to Mary, completely missing the small stroke dean was experiencing at the feel of Cas's hand on his. 

"I'm doing okay. Some nights are harder than others, but it's a process," Cas admitted. 

Mary nodded approvingly. "Good; it *is* a process. If you ever need to talk, you come find me." 

"Yes, ma'am," Cas murmured shyly. "Thank you." 

Once dinner was over, Cas helped clean up, then started heading for the door. 

"I suppose I should head home now," he murmured, but his tone was regretful. 

Mary glared at him. "Absolutely not! We're not even close to being done for the evening."

He ended up staying for a few more hours. They watched a couple Christmas specials on TV, then opened some gifts. 

Cas was slightly upset because he hadn't brought anything to exchange, but Mary shook her head. "Don't you worry about a thing!" And then she handed him a small, wrapped box to open. Inside was a pair of knit blue gloves, and Cas felt tears well in his eyes as he stared down at them. 

He looked up at Dean, only to find the other boy blushing furiously. "I know you said that you were still looking for yours, so, uh, yeah." 

Cas smiled tremulously, his expression soft and grateful. "Thank you." 

Dean nodded, glancing down at his own gift that he'd just opened. He missed the secret smiles that Mary, John, and Sam exchanged.

\-------------------

When it was time for Cas to head home, Dean walked with him to the door. As he helped him back into his coat, Mary suddenly appeared to offer him one more hug. 

"You come over any time now," she urged. Cas nodded, his eyes wet as he hugged her tightly. 

"Thank you for this," he whispered hoarsely. "I didn't think..." He trailed off, but Mary understood. She pulled back and cupped his cheek gently, her eyes kind. 

Dean opened the door for him then, and Mary's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Oh my! Would you look at how dark it's gotten outside!" 

Dean and Cas glanced outside, obviously confused. It was December; it always got dark pretty early to begin with, but it was already past ten. It would've been dark out, either way. 

Mary smirked. "Dean, why don't you walk Cas home, just to make sure he gets there safe?" 

"Oh, that's not necessary!" Cas began to protest, but Mary shook her head.

"It absolutely is! What kind of hostess would I be if I didn't make sure you made it home okay? Dean, get your coat on." 

And that was how Dean found himself walking down a dark street with Cas, nothing but Christmas lights and the occasional street lamp to guide the way. Cas kept close to his side as they walked, but the silence was palpable between them. It was the first time they had been alone together, and Dean found it more than a little overwhelming. 

He startled slightly when he felt Cas's hand brush against his, and he glanced down to find Cas pulling his hand back. Dean contemplated his options for a moment, but then decided that he was tired of overthinking things. He took a deep breath and then reached out to take Cas's hand in his, his heart beating out a rapid rhythm as he slowly tangled their fingers together. 

He looked straight ahead for a few seconds, but then he found he had to look down at Cas to gage his reaction. He found the smaller boy gazing up at him adoringly, just like Bess had looked at Garth the day before, and his breath caught in his throat. 

"Cas," he whispered, and Cas smiled softly. 

"Yes, Dean?"

"Do you...um...I mean, are you..." Dean stumbled over his words for a moment before letting out an irritated huff. He stopped walking so he could turn to look at Cas, studying his features closely in the dim light of a street lamp directly overhead. "I like you... A lot. Like, I've had a huge crush on you since the first time I saw you in government. And uh...if you'd like," he smiled imploringly, "I'd like to take you on a date sometime." 

Cas's face broke out into a wide grin. "Absolutely!" 

Dean huffed out a disbelieving laugh. "Really?" 

Cas nodded. He stared up at Dean a moment longer, his actions almost hesitant as he raised up on tiptoes to brush his lips against Dean's. Dean froze for a split second, but then he smiled broadly and ducked back down for another kiss. 

After several long kisses, Dean pulled back, his smile dopey. "We, uh, we should get going." 

"Yes, I suppose so," Cas conceded. He linked his fingers back through Dean's and led him the rest of the way to his house. 

\----------------

Back at the Winchester house, Mary chuckled as she stared down at her phone. 

"What is it?" John asked. Mary held out her phone to show him the picture that Hester had just texted her. 

It had been taken secretly from the front window, both of its subjects unaware of the photographer. On the front porch, Cas and Dean were standing together, Cas's fingers tangled in Dean's shirt, smiles on already swollen lips as they exchanged another kiss.


End file.
